Help! My Toddler Likes to Throw Food!
“How Do I Get My Toddler to Stop Throwing Food?”
Toddlers are “throwers” by definition, and for a couple of reasons. First of all, depending on their age, toddlers may not have the vocabulary to express what they want to say, whether it’s, “I don’t like this,” or “I’m done with this,” or “I’m mad!” Secondly, toddlers are just trying to figure stuff out, and throwing things is a way of exploring and learning cause and effect.
Still, frustrated parents of toddlers everywhere are seeking advice about food throwing, and this article should help them out! The first thing to understand is why toddlers love throwing food.
Frustrated parents can find relief with our Online Parenting Class
Toddlers Throw Food for Two Main Reasons
- Toddlers throw food because they are done eating.
- Toddlers throw food because they like to see their parents react.
Toddlers throw food because they are done eating.
Some toddlers will throw food because they are full and are done eating. Some little ones throw their food because they simply don’t care for what’s in front of them, in which case they are also done eating. Again, without the vocabulary to express that they are finished with their meal, the peas or noodles in front of them simply become objects to play with. Think about it: If you were strapped into a high chair with nothing else to do, you would likely start to play with your food too!
Here’s a simple solution for the toddler who throws food because they are finished eating. Dole out smaller servings of food at time, and supplement until you observe they are done with their meal. This will eliminate the food-throwing out of boredom and will give them less to throw if the mood strikes!
Once you sense that your toddler is done with mealtime, go ahead and remove the food from their tray, or better yet take them down from the high chair for a new activity to prevent any unnecessary food throwing.
If your child is a little older and is able to communicate a bit better, you might try a “No Thank You” napkin or bowl. If there are things on her plate that your little one doesn’t like, they could put the food on this “No Thank You” napkin or in the bowl so they won’t feel the need to chuck it on the floor.
Toddlers throw food because they like to see their parents react.
Some little tykes will throw food even when they’re still hungry. In this case, they’re probably doing it because they like to see how you react. If you react by wigging out, yelling, and cleaning up after them with visible frustration, you might actually be encouraging your toddler to throw food again to see if it will yield the same results!
Are you encouraging the correct behavior? Find out with our Online Parenting Class
Parenting expert Susie Walton takes a lighthearted approach to the toddler food-throwing dilemma: “Your toddler is not throwing food because she’s out to get you. She’s just trying to figure out this thing called life! She doesn’t know the difference yet between why she can drop the toys from the toybox and why she can drop the bath toys in the tub, but she can’t throw her food.”
Walton adds, “And they are in awe of watching food drop from the tray to the floor. Watch her eyes.” Remembering that food-throwing is not necessarily an act of defiance but more of a learning experience for your toddler, might help you keep your cool when it happens.
Walton suggests having your toddler help out with the clean-up. When they are old enough to handle it, have them help with picking up the food, and wiping away the mess with safe cleaning spray (or even just water) and a paper towel.
“Make your toddler the boss of the floor! So at the end of the meal, she knows she’s in charge of making sure the floor is clean. She’ll love helping you clean up, and she’ll probably throw food a lot less if she knows she’ll have to clean it up after.”
The most important thing to remember when your toddler throws food is to stay calm. Yelling might actually encourage the behavior, and punishing won’t help the situation or your child. Try to get to the reason behind the food throwing, and then fix the problem from its root.
If you follow these quick tips, you can transform your toddler from “food-thrower” to “neater eater.”
By Pamela Layug Laney